 Poster: A snowHead
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At the end of this year, I will be made redundant from my current job which I've been in for 11 years. I've decided to take advantage of the break and the cash and go on a ski trip for a month (oh delight  - have only ever managed a week before). I'm a pretty good skiier and am looking for some challenging skiing especially off-piste. Currently planning two weeks in St Anton and two weeks in Chamonix. Has anyone got any other recommendations for European resorts that are interesting enough for a couple of weeks.
Thanks!!!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Parkyparcours, Welcome to Snowheads. I did 2 weeks last Easter but rather than sticking to one resort I had 1 week in Alpe D'Huez and another in Les Deux Alpes, they are pretty close together and it worked well.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Parkyparcours, Verbier? Loads of good off piste there apparently according to this http://www.welove2ski.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&id=133&desc=Verbier%2C+Switzerland
Have you been to Chamonix before? Personally (and only my personal opinion mind) I would spend a week in Chamonix not 2 weeks and go somewhere else for the other week so I could get 3 resorts in instead of 2.
Or changing things completely you could stay in Ste Foy or Bourg St Maurice for a month if you will have a car with you and then you can go to whichever resorts in the Tarentaise you wanted to go to on different days even wherever the best conditions are that time.
A search on welove2ski on resorts for experts gives (excuding the US/Canadian resorts) in this order:- Verbier, Chamonix, Val D'Isere, St Anton, Ste Foy, Tignes.
I haven't been to them all so I couldn't say whether I agree with that order or not. At least St Anton and Chamonix are in your current list anyway so that's good! 
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Parkyparcours, if it's going to be for the entire month of Jan, that's a low-season month and there should be loads of last-minute accommodation available. If you want offpiste, you'd be better off waiting to see where the snow hits. A car would be ideal for flexibility, but I guess it can work with public transport too.
All of the resorts above - Cham, Verbier, St Anton, the AdH/LDA combination etc would be good for two weeks, the Espace Killy as well and so many others...snow quantity/quality will be the most important.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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With a month I'd seriously recommend a US/Canada roadtrip. However as Europe seems to be your thing I'd follow horizon's advice and storm chase unless you want to get value from a season pass. You don't mention partners though so off-piste safety might be a concern which would mitigate towards staying in one place and trying to hook up with seasonnaire types.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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agree with horizon and fatbob
follow the snow
keep in contact on here and maybe sign up on TGR if you are looking for locals to ski with
all things being equal, St A and Chamonix will provide interesting skiing and you probably won't find it too hard to find other like-minded people. the following would also be a lot of fun in good conditions and some of these won't have anything like the competition for tracks:
Verbier
Gressoney/Alagna
Engelberg
Andermatt
La Grave/Les Deux Alpes/Alpe d'Huez
a North American road trip would be a LOT of fun. never done it myself but would like to
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Oh delight - talking about skiing in September - I have to normally wait till Oct/Nov berfore my friendsl let me jabber on.
Anyway to the trip - Thanks guys, completely agree about following the snow cos if I do book I'll have that sick feeling for every day for 3 weeks before I go waiting to see if theres going to be some fresh powder - its no wonder I have a problem committing to a ski trip every year!
Thought about doing a road trip/going by train - that would be pretty cool but got warned off because of last minute hotels being expensive. Would be amazing though - I really can't believe I'm going skiing for a whole month - how on earth am I going to come home and get a job 
We (Yes there is a Mr PP) originally looked at Val/Tignes but the apartments are stupidly expensive and like rabbit hutches so have written that off (and have been there 3 times so wanted something new. Verbier looks good.
US - have any of you skiied there before? - is it as good as Europe? Is it like Canada - went to Banff last year, was great snow but apres-ski was a bit non-existent.......
Arno - whats TGR????
Also have heard really good things about Lech????
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Parkyparcours, using public transport in Switzerland would certainly be practical; less so in other countries, although you might not mind taking the odd day out to rest and travel to the next place. a car would give much more flexibility and would also allow you to stay in places not quite in resort - so cheaper and more choice
the debate on North America vs Europe never ends. depends what you like. apres ski is usually pretty limited, but (IMV) you can drink in a pub any time; you may only get to ski for a solid month once in a lifetime so ski as much as you can. aside from that issue i suppose the plus sides of NA are:
- generally better snow
- generally quieter resorts
- inbounds off piste
plus sides of europe
- bigger mountains
- bigger ski areas
- nicer ski towns/resorts
TGR is teton gravity research - the forum on there is not to everyone's taste (let's say it's a bit less polite than here) but it is populated by mostly very good skiers who like to ski off piste and are often very open to meeting up and showing people round their favourite resort (at least if you don't come across as too much of a JONG (you'll have to look around that forum to get an idea of what that means;))). there's a thread called "snow for the euros" which will wake up near winter which is a great resource for where is good and who will be skiing where
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Parkyparcours, I'd definetely read before you post on TGR but you'd be struggling to find a more knowledgeable group of folks especially when it comes to North America-alot of those guys live in or near the mountains so are pretty clued up.
Why not spend a couple weeks in Europe then hop on a plane in Zurich or Frankfurt after you've had your fix of Europe and hit N.A. As for the lack of Apres in Banff you obviously didn't have the local knowledge.
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With a whole month to spend, I'd be off to NA for sure. You can ski Europe for a weekend or week at a time when you're back to a normal lifestyle.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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uktrailmonster, agreed.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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having said follow the snow, i am now thinking that a month is also the perfect opportunity to really get under the skin of one place. a month in somewhere like Verbier, Chamonix, Andermatt or the Oisans would be enough to get to know the classic runs and really get a feel for the lay of the land and could open the door for years of returning to fill in the gaps.
that sort of thing doesn't appeal to everyone but I think I'd enjoy it 
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Arno - thats what I've been thinking,. would love to know somewhere really well and go where other tourists don't - never foget finding the vallee perdu in Tignes by accident (actually was just being v lazy and not wanting to walk up to the lift). Was v cool to go somewhere other people didn't know.
Have you been to V,C,A or O - did you have a preference?
Got a few years to go but would be good to test what living in the mountains would be like - would seriously love to retire there.....
Will have a look at TGR and mind my language 
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You know it makes sense.
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Parkyparcours, I have been to all of them. I think the Oisans take it for me probably for the very reason that I did a season there (mostly skiing at Alpe d'Huez) and it has terrain to match any of V and C but smaller crowds. Andermatt has a slightly different feel - lots of terrain available, slightly funky (as in slightly odd but interesting) town and lift system. Would probably be better if you were into touring as well. Accommodation in the Oisans will probably be cheaper than C and V; may not be the case for Andermatt.
I still go back to the Oisans at least once a season and love poking around Alpe d'Huez finding new places.
It's a close run thing though - I was really taken with Verbier and for all its faults Chamonix is great
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Parkyparcours wrote: |
| Also have heard really good things about Lech???? |
Lech is on the same lift pass as St Anton Parky so you'll cover that...
I would say...
1. good on you for blowing the redundancy - long time dead right? and
2. don't do 2 weeks in St A - more to the point don't do 2 weeks anywhere. Switzerland is an option, as the trains are great and Andermatt/Engelberg/Davos/klosters are all very accessible from St A and all have loads of hotels where you could book a couple on (k)nights.
Don't forget to come back to the UK and get another day job...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Arno, Ah AdH - had a horrendous weekend there. No snow so everyone on the same few slopes - so in my mind its always seemed like a really small resort. We stayed in a gourmet chalet though so food delicious. What job did you do?
Had scary conversation with boss today - where she started to question why they were making me redundant (this is a temp role) - oh "£$^*(  - I could lose my ski fund!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Parkyparcours, Oh that is not good by here is my tow pence worth anyway
Spend no more than a week anywhere,
Start in France and work your way across Switzerland and Austria to Italy! There is alot to exerience in the alps and if you have the cash and time go nuts.
I would start in Tignes.Deux alps/Chamonix
Then head to Zermatt/Sass Fee
Then down to Italy Madonna Del campino
Finishing in Austria Lech/Zurs/Ischgel/StAnton/Obergurgal
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Parkyparcours, didn't work - was taking a career break and spending some savings 
this write-up of my last trip there gives a bit of a taste of what is available. you really do need to know where you are going though - it's not obvious
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=38167
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Parkyparcours, if you stayed in Bourg St Maurice you'd have access to 1,600 kilometres of psites and more off-piste than you can imagine. In 2 weeks you'd barely scratch the surface of the skiing and that's without including La Plagne. You could ski Les Arcs, Tignes, Val d'Isere, Ste Foy and La Rosiere which would give you the opportunity to ski La Thuile in Italy, There are reasonable transport links, assuming you don't have use of a vehicle, although I'd opt for a resort rather a valley town as IMO you miss out on the ambience of a resort staying somewhere like BSM. All the Tarentaise resorts offer discounted days at other resorts when you buy a 6 day plus lift-pass.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Parkyparcours, maybe throw in an off piste/mountain safety course at the start of the trip? or budget for a few days with guides (you're best using the same guide if poss because they get to know you and what you have done)?
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Rent a car(s).
Do a 4 stopper.
Start in Val d'Isere.
Move on to Chamonix.
Go on to Zermatt.
Finish up in Verbier.
They are 4 of the 5 best skiing resorts in the Alps.
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A month....?? depending on your choice and what you want to ski, I'd say, kill 2 resorts.
I wouldn't want to be changing resorts too often and although a travel day is good for a rest, you don't want too many, especially as you haven't got a car. What is a quick trip down the valley and over to another one by car...90min-2hrs might be half a day lugging kit on trains.
If you do use trains then Switzerland is pretty sorted all round and they try and tie in with post buses where applicable.
Reading your posts, I'd guess this is a unique oppurtunity to do lots of skiing but maybe you haven't done enough to take on a multi-trip. By the time you have gotten embedded and used to things you'll be on your way, and maybe you can't scope the hill as well as you need to to take advantage of flying visits.
If you limit yourself to 3, 4 max, you might find like minded skiers to explore with, but bear in mind that people who know the terrain and are confident on that terrain will likely be pretty swift and you'll need to be able to keep up or not be able to ski with them much
As this seems an introduction to a wider type of skiing, you'll need to be comfortable in the back of beyond..this means when you get out there, you really have to be able to get back... and that means skiing what is in front of you, whatever that is... or at least coping with it, without scaring yourself too much
I think what you need are a few people who you can hook up with, who can show you a day out of adventure but not way too hairy...which is a relative term of course.
If you are a pr, I would pick a decent resort and look to see what the ski schools do with day trips... St A and Zermatt used to offer an off-piste instructor..but not full UIAGM ..that would show you a very good time for say £45 a day... You would need to match up in agroup tho'.. he knows the resort and stashes and would introduce you to a new world. This would be cheaper than a full blown guide. Then when you have your legs in and are feeling confident you can splash out on the full beans and heli-trips or something.
Depending how you would position yourself ski-wise, maybe look at a structured course from Warren Smith or Snowworks where they take you on these type of things and instruct you as well, hopefully.
I think the idea is great and the month sound perfect, but you might need to buy a bit more experience to get the best out of it...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| uktrailmonster wrote: |
| With a whole month to spend, I'd be off to NA for sure. You can ski Europe for a weekend or week at a time when you're back to a normal lifestyle. |
I'd agree, especially about the part of "You can ski Europe for a weekend or week at a time when you're back to a normal lifestyle"
If it were me, I'd either resort hop the entire time, in NA, which you would be hard pressed to find so much time any other time. Or stay put in ONE mountain in the Alps, get to know it inside out.
Don't see too much sense in spliting into 2-2 week chunks.
(To go off-piste without having to pay for guide service, you'll need to hook up with people you can trust. I'm not sure 2 weeks is long enough time for that. N.A. has the advantage of a lot of inbound off-piste terrain which you can access without paying extra for guides, which offsets the cost of the transatlatic flight and more expensive lift pass. And you have the exchange rate advantage currently)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I think it is less important where..within reason.. and more to have in mind what you want to do. Most places have stuff over the back that takes a bit of looking for..you just have to want to have a look.
The NA option sounds ok, where you can ski what you see as it is patrolled and blasted. This will get you lots of miles or varied terrian skiing under your belt You may already have this and if so, you should know that 2 weeks in Chamonix or St A with someone who knows can get you stupendous days
Unless you hook up with people and can match up well, getting to these little stashes is all down to you...and even jaunts down the Gr Sablat needs commitment and the way out.
If you have a guide fund, then anywhere will be great...but will hit the pocket at around 300eu a day, split by how many in the group.
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JT, wow, expensive - esp as theres 2 of us int he group! Mind you - getting in a great day's guiding when we get to the resort will probably be worth its weight in gold. Will also look at private ski lessions - have used them in the past to explore the mountain. Will also do lots of research before we go.....
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FAQ
- we're not really into ski stats - vertical metres and such-like macho posturings - more about having a laugh and scaring ourselves a bit (well quite a lot sometimes 
).